L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 I t's 1948. The war is o v e r , a n d I t a l y i s slowly emerging from years of deprivation i n t o t h e f r a g i l e p r o m i s e o f r e c o n s t r u c t i o n . W i t h t h e n e w C o n s t i t u t i o n taking effect and the birth of a democratic republic, a sense o f t e n t a t i v e b u t g r o w i n g p r o g r e s s b e g i n s t o s p r e a d . D a i l y l i f e , o n c e d e f i n e d b y scarcity, opens up to the pos- sibility of comfort, even pleasure. That comfort soon becomes something you can hold in your hand, on a stick, no less. "Nourishes and refreshes," declares the advertisement for the Mottarello, a creamy milk-flavored ice cream, not served in a cup but wrapped around a wooden stick. What had recently been an unthinkable luxury – in wartime even bread was rationed – was now affordable, accessible, and within reach of the average Italian. Ice cream for ten lire, like the tray of pastries picked up on a Sunday morning, became a marker of social transformation: from basic sur- vival to a little indulgence, a treat for special days. Then came the economic boom and the rise of mass consumerism. Ice cream was no longer a summer-only delight; it became a regular part of life, with around 80% of Italians eating it at least once a week. This quiet revolution began in 1948 with Angelo Motta, a visionary in the Italian confectionery industry, who imag- ined ice cream on a stick as an everyday pleasure for every budget. Far from a novelty, it ignited the rise of Italy's leg- endary industrial gelato brands: Sammontana, Sanson, Algi- da, Eldorado, Alemagna, Tre Marie. The next turning point came when the quaint gelato cart gave way to modern freezers in cafés and bars. And finally, when the freezer, just like the television, became a fixture in every home, the future of ice cream was sealed: no longer just a treat, it became a cultural staple. Gelato: an Italian popular icon with its eyes on neuroscience From the Editor In 1970, Sammontana launched the Barattolino, the first family-sized ice cream tub designed for at-home enjoyment. It marked a shift from the single-portion format to a more generous, comforting experience. But the single-serve model wasn't gone for long: in 1976, the Cornetto hit the market – a crisp cone filled with ice cream that would soon become a global symbol of Italian ingenuity and taste. To understand the scale of this transformation, consider the data from the Istituto del Gelato Italiano: in the 1950s, Italians consumed around 250 grams of packaged ice cream per person each year, with national production at roughly 20,000 tons; today, average consumption has risen to 3 to 4 kilograms per person annually. Whether in cones, cups, cookie sandwiches, popsicles, sticks, bonbons, miniatures, cakes, or tubs, industrial ice cream now enters Italian homes on a regular basis, mostly through supermarket freezers. According to Unione Italiana Food, in 2023, Italy produced nearly 170,000 tons of industrial ice cream, with an additional 80,000 tons made for export. Once a seasonal indulgence, ice cream has become a year-round staple: firmly de-seasonalized and well-embedded in Italy's daily life. This evolution tells a story of postwar recovery and eco- nomic growth, but also of a shared national experience. Entire generations of Italians grew up with the familiar fla- vors of vanilla and chocolate, shaped by advertising jingles and catchy slogans. One brand in particular stands out, a name recently featured in a new book that retraces this very social and cultural journey: Algida. Algida. Il cuore dell'es- tate dal 1947 by Giulia Cavaliere looks at how entrepreneur- ship, creativity, and Italian tradition shaped ice cream into more than just a treat for all seasons, to become part of everyday life: a social habit, a family gesture, and something many people associate with childhood and shared memo- ries. In almost eighty years, this confectionery brand has been a steady presence for Italian families and became a familiar part of many Italians' daily lives; it is both a popular icon and a name associated with one of the country's most wide- spread eating habits. The latest frontier in the world of ice cream is the grow- ing focus on health and nutrition. Today's market offers a wide range of options: gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free varieties, as well as products enriched with fruit, grains, vitamin C, calcium, and live cultures. There are also ice creams made with fresh milk and biscuits designed specifically for children's snacks, lighter versions with yogurt, fruit, and muesli, and premium editions in elegant packaging featuring rare ingredients, unusual flavors, and new textures. And then there's science. Because beyond its recognized nutritional qualities, ice cream is now finding its way into an emerging area of research: neurogastronomy. This field explores how sensory stimuli (taste, sight, and smell) inter- act with so-called "functional foods" that may have a posi- tive impact on brain health. It's a shift in perspective that sees food not just as nour- ishment but as a tool for multisensory neural stimulation, with potential applications in medical contexts, including early childhood development as well as therapies to support recovery in people affected by age-related conditions or cog- nitive decline. A scientific approach that is turning ice cream from a simple treat into a genuine ally for health. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano Please send correspondence to P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian news- paper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Nittoli SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTOR Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Matt Walker, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Teresa Di Fresco Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Jessica S. Levy, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio, Luca Signorini, Giulia Franceschini © 2025 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114

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